It Takes You Away
by A. S. Oswald
Summary: An unwilling contractee and a starving demon are never a good combination. Louise's life is ripped apart from the inside when her father's contract is passed onto her and an irate, resentful Sebastian is determined to keep her in his icy clutches. Even if it means dragging her down to Hell. {Gore, Attempted Suicide, Stockholm syndrome, probably more to come}
1. Before the Storm

_This is a rewrite of Until the Very End. Different events - besides the occasional borrowed scene - same general idea and OC._

**Warning: Suggestions of domestic violence and Stockholm syndrome**.

* * *

**Before the Storm**

* * *

**Date: The 23rd of May**

* * *

Louise didn't trust him.

From the moment she laid eyes upon his gorgeous, vile, charming, ghastly face, she felt something was wrong. From how his strange coloured eyes met her own, seeming to bore into her very soul. To the way his lips had curled up into a chilling smile as he took her hand in his own in a polite shake, his grip lingering for just a moment too long. She couldn't help the knot in her stomach that formed as he stared down at her with an unwavering, predatory gaze. His looming form was clad in a black trenchcoat, hair dark as night framing a thin and angular face which almost gave the impression of a corpse. His long slender nose and high cheekbones were set beneath an almost sickly looking ivory complexion which Louise had to crane her neck up to observe. His face was too perfect. Too good to be true.

"This is Sebastian," Her Dad had introduced the stranger, who then directed at the uneasy girl in a smooth, deep voice:

"It's a pleasure." He bowed his head slightly in her direction, russet gaze firmly fixed upon her.

She responded by sending him a lopsided smile, which failed to reach her stony eyes. "Nice to meet you. I'm Louise." She greeted.

His grin only widened. "I'm aware." He returned.

While unnerved by the handsome stranger, and slightly confused, her Dad had reassured her that they were now "colleagues". " Partners in business". It was a vague description but one that Louise readily accepted. She brushed off the feelings of unease and attributed it to her being too judgemental. She was distrusting at the best of times.

* * *

**Date: The 16th of June**

* * *

Louise had found it difficult to quell her suspicions, especially once Sebastian had started hanging around the house a lot more often. He and her dad didn't seem to have any plans of leaving to go to work either.

That evening, Louise had returned from college to find Sebastian and her Dad in the kitchen. She froze at the entrance in the hallway just across from the front door, peeking around the doorframe and trying to remain as silent as humanly possible. Unable to hear what they were saying, she frowned at the expression on her dad's face. His brow was furrowed and his lips were curled down into a deep grimace. Why was he anxious? She strained her ears in an attempt to hear their whispered murmurs when suddenly, Sebastian turned and met her wide eyes. He sent her a grin.

"Good afternoon, Louise. I trust you had a good day?"

The blonde stuttered as she felt her face begin to heat up. Sending him a single nod she swiftly dashed upstairs, ignoring the questioning look her dad sent her.

"Dad's new colleague's a bit weird isn't he?" She later said offhandedly to her mother. The older woman only shook her head.

"He seems nice. Very handsome..." She said, distracted as she peered through her reading glasses, her wrinkled face buried in a book: Twilight.

Louise rolled her eyes. Her mother was ever the romantic, though she began to wonder if it was truly just her who found him strange.

* * *

**Date: The 8th of July**

* * *

Recurring nightmares had been keeping Louise up at night. She would jolt awake, finding her cheeks damp and the room still pitch black in the small hours of the morning. She could recall them vividly and the dancing phantoms would continue to plague her even in the daytime.

Sebastian was still there, the frequency of his visits was increasing and becoming longer. Until one morning, Louise had woken to find the dark-haired man making breakfast.

"Did you stay over?" She asked suspiciously, strolling into the kitchen with her hair awry and her eyes hooded.

He didn't even look at her, having already sensed her presence. "I did. French toast?" He offered.

Tentatively she accepted, sitting down at the table. She looked him up and down, taking note that he always appeared to be in the same suit.

"Something smells good..." Louise turned to her mother, who appeared to have recently woken up too. She paused in the doorway, eyes glancing between her daughter and her husband's apparent colleague.

"Mornin' mum." Louise gave a small wave.

Her mother frowned, motioning to the tall man at the stove. To which Louise responded with a shrug.

"Good morning Jenifer. Would you care for some French toast?" Sebastian turned, giving the older woman a charming smile which made her instantly melt.

"Oh, go on then."

The two women were both in agreement that, Sebastian could certainly cook. However, neither took notice of the fact that he never seemed to eat anything.

* * *

**Date: The 15th of August**

* * *

Still plagued by nightmares, the end of summer break brought with it a slew of problems. Most notably being, Louise's concentration levels were at an all-time low. Any attempt to focus on what the lecturer was saying was feeble, everything was a distraction and she would often find herself staring into space blankly.

On one occasion, Louise awoke with a start, eyebrows creasing in tired confusion at the brief pain in her side. Before quickly coming to realise that she had been awoken by a swift elbow to the ribs. A glance to the side revealed her boyfriend Logan staring at her, sending her a cheeky grin when their eyes met. With a motion of his head, Louise noted the lecturer standing over her tired form which lay slumped on the desk.

Face flushing, she immediately sat upright, apologising profusely. Much to the amusement of the rest of the class.

"Oooh, I'm sooooo sorry Jack~!" Logan mocked on the walk towards the train station, the burnt amber sky signalling that the end of the day was near.

Louise chuckled, swatting his shoulder. "Oh, shut up. You would have done the same."

"Can't believe you fell asleep. I knew graphics was boring but that's not like you." The auburn-haired boy noted, glancing at her in vague concern.

"Just tired."

"You look it. Eye bags down to here." He motioned with his hands, placing them halfway down his cheeks for emphasis.

She peered up at him. "Yeah, alright I get the point." She ground out, before adding under her breath: "Ginger prick."

* * *

**Date: The 18th of August**

* * *

Since, what Louise had opted to call "The Incident", Redbull had seemingly become a staple to her diet. It was a secretive edition, as her mother was vehemently against them.

"They're just pure chemicals." She would say.

"Everything is 'pure chemicals'." Louise retorted, taking a very pointed swig from the can.

As for Sebastian, everyone had gotten used to his presence eventually. It seemed as though he was living there now, apparently sleeping in the guest bedroom. The reason being was that her dad had started working from home. She wondered what the pair were doing, as Louise had been under the impression that her dad was a concierge.

"How do you do that from home exactly?" She had asked, before quickly being brushed off. She wasn't especially bothered.

When Sebastian had started doing the housework, Louise's mum certainly hadn't been against it. In the beginning, she had been wary. Though since she had a bad time with her hip, she eventually gave in.

As always, Louise came in from college and made to ascend the staircase to her room, only to find Sebastian sat on the steps petting the cat.

"What is his name?" He asked her as she approached, an unusually serene expression on his face. She had never seen such a look on him, he seemed to express only one emotion: smugness. When not smirking his face was seemingly void of any feeling whatsoever. She decided she much preferred him when he looked as relaxed as he did.

"That's Dusty." She sent him a smile, coming to join him in sitting on the step. "I'm surprised you didn't know it already." She mused, bringing her fingers to caress the purring feline's ears.

"I've been rather busy." He responded vacantly, completely beguiled by the small animal as it leaned into his touch.

Louise glanced between them, before a soft smile broke out across her face, like the rays of the sun peering from between sparse grey clouds. He liked cats? She could definitely relate to him on that.

"Have you seen Sylvester the talking cat?"

He glanced up at her in new interest. "Sylvester the talking cat?" He repeated.

She promptly pulled out her phone, pulling up YouTube as Sebastian peered over her shoulder in anticipation.

_Perhaps,_ she thought to herself. _He isn't so bad._

* * *

**Date: The 20th of August**

* * *

Louise was sat on her room floor beside the doorway, silent tears streaming down her face and an uncomfortable ache in her stomach as she listened to the commotion downstairs.

Her parents were arguing.

She listened, horrified, as it turned out her dad didn't even have a job anymore. He had been covering it up for months. She was shaking like a leaf as their shouts thundered amidst the household. Such heinous words.

She couldn't remember them having ever argued like this before.

She jumped at the knock on her door, quickly standing and moving to sit at her desk in a sad attempt to make it seem as though she hadn't been listening.

As she granted entry, the door was pushed open and the pleasant voice of Sebastian greeted her. "Are you alright, Louise?"

At his gentle tone, she couldn't help but burst into sobs.

In a strange but not unwelcome gesture, he moved to embrace the quivering young female. As she leaned on his shoulder she couldn't help but wonder:

_If Dad lost his job months ago, who the hell is Sebastian? And why is he suddenly living with us?_

She didn't get to ask this question, as she suddenly fell unconscious.

She later attributed it to her being so exhausted.

* * *

**Date: The 22nd of August**

* * *

The teen was shocked to discover her mum had plans to move away and take her with her. She glanced at the deep purple bruise on the older woman's cheek, a lump forming at the back of her throat.

This was new. This changed everything.

_What happened? _She had wondered, a pained expression set on her face.

Her portly father always seemed stressed these days, always with dark circles beneath his eyes. He hardly even looked at Louise now.

Trying to converse would prove a failure, his responses would be distant. Clipped at best. Her mother had informed her that he was now blind in one eye.

"Since when?" She had frowned, receiving only an indifferent shrug in response.

She felt as though she was watching her family gradually deteriorate. Along with her grades. Like a colossal black cloud was looming over the house and casting it into darkness.

Louise mostly confined herself to her room. She felt anxious all of the time and she struggled to eat regularly. At her suddenly protruding bones and noticeably frail form, she had become thankful for the colder weather beginning to set in. Baggy clothes became her everyday wear.

"You seem to have lost some weight," Sebastian observed as Louise was packing some of her belongings into a box.

The girl in question froze, turning to look at him. "I have?" She asked dumbly.

"Yes. Quite a bit, in such a short period." He advanced towards her until he was stood right over her. She fidgeted with the hem of her sleeve, shying away from his scrutinising stare.

"I guess...I just haven't felt good lately." She murmured, feeling her face heat as his unwavering attention was focused on her. "Could you not tell anyone?" She had to put effort into locking eyes with him in a silent plea.

He regarded her for a moment, before stepping back. "If that is what you wish... However, if your father asks me I'll have no choice but to tell him."

Louise scoffed at the mention of her father. As if he would honestly care.

* * *

**Date: September**

* * *

She couldn't sleep.

Everyone was gone now. Apart from Sebastian.

She sat, staring out of her window at the rising sun. A new day. What was once a symbol of hope, now only filled her with dread. Her eyes fell onto the clock face hanging on the wall.

She truly was sorry for what her father had done, but she couldn't do this anymore. It wasn't fair, she hadn't asked for any of this.

* * *

**Date:?**

* * *

Fiery pain tore right through her. Everything hurt so much and it was all she could think about.

She had learned to stop trying to fight him long ago, what was the point? It never worked and would always result in her being hurt even more. Black serpentine scales over pale skin. The scars and bruises over her body, she had lost count of how many. So she lay limp against him, completely blind to her surroundings as his dangerous hands continued to claim her.

As she lay there she felt so wrong. Everything about this was wrong.

She couldn't help but wonder why he kept her around. So many times he'd had the opportunity to end her, to leave her to die and yet, there she was.

The silence that always fell between them, she eventually came to find less uncomfortable. Even though she couldn't see him she always felt his eyes upon her as his motions continued.

In a way, she felt...bad for him. He was as much a victim of what her father had done as she was. That didn't make it any easier.

"Can I go outside?" She asked at his retreating steps, her voice horribly meek and pleading.

He merely sighed in response, like always. "You know the answer."

And with that, the door slammed shut. He didn't even bother to lock it anymore.

"I've trained you well." On one occasion he had noted.

She only shrugged, in response to his snide remark, flinching when she felt the sting of his talons slice into her flesh.

She was used to it. If he couldn't get a reaction from her with words, physical pain always did the trick.

* * *

**DaTE:**

* * *

He had been gone for quite a while. She fidgeted nervously from where she sat on the end of the bed, wondering when he would be back.

_He wouldn't just leave me here to die, would he?_

The dull ache of loneliness firmly settled itself within her. He hadn't brought her food or water in what felt like forever. The days all seemed to morph into one until all she was aware of was the constant chatter within her own pounding skull.

When she had asked him about seeing someone else, another human, he didn't take it too well. She frowned, unclear as to what the problem was.

_I guess demons are insecure creatures. He can't be blamed... It's my Dad's fault, not his._

In a last-ditch attempt, she felt her way to the door, only to find that he did, in fact, lock it this time.

_Strange. He doesn't normally lock it anymore. He knows I would never...not again. Because...I think I'm-_

* * *

_The cover is a photoshopped version of the Silent Hill 2 OST cover._


	2. Night Terrors

**NOTE:** _Canon isn't overly important to me in writing this story._

* * *

**Night Terrors**

The land of rapture was a quiet place. Characterised by the silence and serenity, moved by its ability to revitalize the beholder. Ruled by the mind, it may at times appear as a blanket of tenebrosity. An emptiness, a void through which could be seen the things that not only live in the shadows, but things that _are_ the shadows.

Things. Silent passengers to mankind. Reaching and grabbing, praying upon those much weaker. Lurkers with the bait to attract the souls of the lost, the decrepit. The desperate.

Mankind - the only prey in the universe that seeks out the predator. The only species ever to willingly damn itself.

But the world of figments didn't always appear this way. And usually, Louise wouldn't ever remember her visits to the realm of the night. Recently, however, she found herself recalling her dreams more and more vividly.

Calling them dreams would be far too kind. Even calling them _bad _dreams didn't do them any justice.

Nightmares.

They were always the same. She would find herself standing in a deep dark abyss, the hairs on the back of her neck standing on end as she felt a pair of eyes leering at her. An inexplicable wave of paranoia would wash over her. She would turn, startled, only to find that no one was there. Yet the feeling continued. In the corners of her eyes, the shadows would dance around her, taunting her. Until one would reach towards her, grotesque fingers darker than night itself ghosting across her trembling body.

Then she would wake up with a start, finding her darkened room lighted only by the soft amber glow of the streetlight outside, cascading in through the window. And usually, that was the end of that. Falling back asleep was nigh impossible.

However this time, it wasn't a nightmare that had awoken Louise from slumber.

It was the stench of alcohol and the feeling of brute hands tearing the blanket from her petite form, grabbing at her by the upper arms and hauling her from the mattress. Her eyes snapped open, blind panic overcame her and her limbs began flailing berserkly against the shadowy figure which had thrown her over its shoulder.

Finding her voice, she let out a screech, bringing her fists down on the anonymous figure's back in a storm of blows. Her attack seemed to have little to no effect on her holder and her demands to be put down fell on deaf ears before she was callously told to shut up. Her cries ceased momentarily, for she recognised the rough voice instantly.

"Dad?"

Receiving no answer, she resigned herself to hanging limp and watching the floor she was being carried across. Downstairs. Outside, into the pelting wind and across the front garden and towards the street. The silhouette of her home grew smaller and she soon recognized the route.

"The woods? Why are we going there?" She paused for a second, heart lurching painfully inside of her chest and her breath fogging in front of her mouth as she struggled to calm herself down. The path into Bluebell Woods lay right across from her home and had been the cause of both terror and beguilement for Louise as she grew up. Peering into the shadow cloaked woodland from her window at night used to have her in a state of petrification, to the point where she refused to sleep.

_"There's a monster in there! It'll take me away!"_ She would scream, tears streaming down her full cheeks.

Now as she was being forcefully carried into the abyss of her childhood terror she couldn't help how her body seized with pure, undiluted horror. She had been in there plenty of times, though never in the dead of night.

"Dad!" She ground out, brow creasing in frustration. Her blonde hair was obscuring her face and shivers wracked her form as the bitter night air tore into her exposed arms. The fogged moon was a ghostly reflection in the puddles on the ground, left behind by the rain as it was blown sideways by a lazy wind. Any ounce of light had long shied away and darkness had completely taken over as her father diverged from the safety of the path, stumbling across lattices of twisted ivy, strangled shrubbery and the corpses of fallen trees. He marched on, ignoring her pleas for him to stop and her vigorous onslaught of questions until eventually they came to a still and she was dropped onto the damp, frigid blades of grass with an unceremonious "oomph!"

Glancing up from where she lay on her stomach revealed her dad to be brandishing a torch which cast eerie beams of amber light and draped the otherwise darkened woods in dramatic shadows. There was a brief pause, where the only sounds to surround them were the ragged breaths from Louise and the chatter of crickets over the gentle patter of rain saturating her still form.

The orange light bounced along the forest floor as her Dad moved towards a huddled mass laying on the ground. As he descended on the unmoving silhouette it became clear exactly what it was. Or rather, who, it was.

"Mum!" Louise screeched, sitting up and lunging forward to get to the woman who was lying unconscious, though she was promptly stopped by a hard kick to the stomach.

"Stay the fuck there!"

The blonde had little choice but to obey her father as she let out a strangled yelp, collapsing in on herself and clutching her stomach while gasping for air. She cast her bleary eyes towards her mum, who still didn't appear to be moving. Despite the pain, what concerned Louise more was the lack of response from the older woman. All she could see was the sinister image of her dad towering over the still figure and in one brief snapshot, the orange reflection on the gleam of a knife made Louise scream in a way she had never screamed in her life.

Her terror combined with confusion when her father began to chant under his breath.

"Corpore sanguis hastam costas et nos tecum sums,"

"What are you doing?! Have you lost your mind? Stop! Please!" She screeched, surely ripping her vocal cords as she struggled to will her limbs to move but she found herself frozen in place. She wanted nothing more than to stand up, bolt over to her deranged father and tackle the blade from his hand. To drive the weapon into his leg and call for help. But her numb limbs refused to co-operate. She watched through burning eyes, whimpering supplications for him to stop as seemingly in slow motion, the knife was raised into the air above his head. There was a pause before the deadly blade was plunged into Louise's mother.

"Da nobis arma, Da nobis oculis meis"

Louise made a sound reminiscent of a wounded animal, struggling to sit up and barely managing to scoot back until her spine slammed against the rough bark of a tree. She watched moon-eyed as her mother's back arched and a truly ungodly scream left the woman. Her eyes and mouth snapped wide open and her face contorted in pure agony.

"No!" Came from Louise.

"March horror in terra."

The shadows seemed to come alive as they scuttled towards the convulsing woman like patches of night. Louise found herself completely unable to look away, becoming transfixed. She recalled all the times as a child she had been utterly convinced there was a monster living in the woods, one who only came out at night with the intent to devour. Something that lingered among the shadows. Was she right, all those years ago?

"Please..." She whispered, voice strangled by the lump in her throat. Her dad had been a good man. She had trusted him! Loved him! Why was he doing this? She couldn't understand.

"Da nobis violentiam Da nobis sanguinem, esse fluxus sanguinis spumosi in terra."

As her mother continued to wail like a banshee, a deathly cloud of thick black smog forced its way out of the woman's mouth creating a ghastly image. Like a trainwreck, morbid curiosity kept Louise held in place. Silent tears streamed down her cheeks like a waterfall. She was completely powerless to help her screaming mother, the knife still wedged into her chest and a ghoulish figure clambering out from within her.

"Skovzany manu mea, Et mel et sanguis pazhagnany. Et sanctificata est ab Cross flamma lutum. Igne salvabis."

The dancing shadows and the swirling storm cloud came together to form one mass stood under the moon. A dysmorphic image of a crooked figure, with a body like a phantom claw. A brazen silhouette, vaguely skeletal and inherently repulsive in appearance. Swirling wreaths of smoke continued to emit from the newly born miscreation which stood, intertwined with the rotting corpse beneath it.

"eGO Quoniam sanguini tradam te, seruare. Quid fecit corpus tuum reverberatione radiorum lucet eGO sitim tangere Venite ad me: Corporis tui est desiderio..."

As her father's chant came to an end, an octed of yellow eyes snapped open and locked gazes with her. Eyes like that of a hungry wolf. She shuddered and her breath caught in her throat. Like a deer in headlights, she had come face to face with a monster. Her eyes flickered back to her dad and she couldn't help but wonder who the real monster was.

Finally, she found it in herself to stand up. Her limbs felt like jelly but she had to move. She had to run, where she had no idea. Tearing her gaze away, she made to sprint into the darker recesses of the woods.

"Tell me, little man. Why have you summoned me here?"

With her back to the scene unfolding, Louise froze in her retreat. That voice alone was scathing. Tumultuous and brittle, it rippled right through her and sent vibrations through the rest of the forest. The beast's vocalisation sounded to be an amalgam of many voices, echoing through Louise's body like she was standing in front of a giant loudspeaker.

"Stop her!" She heard her dad command the sinister shadow in a stony voice and at his words, her brain kicked into survival mode and she fell out of her stupor.

She only made it about a metre before she felt herself being seized. Though she felt no discernible grip - she was aware of an invisible force somehow halting her in her tracks. She let out several cries in protest as she was dragged through the air back towards the disfigurement. It felt as though she was being carried by the fog itself. She coughed violently as she inhaled some of the unnamed black substance. Her heart continued to hammer painfully inside her chest as she found herself stood wheezing against the anonymous entity.

"Let me go!" She lamented, hysterics beginning to grab hold of her quivering form. The distorted image of a bony hand attached to a stick-like limb came to cover her mouth, effectively muffling her sobs. She winced when she felt the course hairs which sprung from the beast like steel wool brush against her cheek. Its fingers were too long and constantly moving like the spindly, twitching legs of an insect. Two additional limbs wrapped around her wrists like rope, binding them to her sides and a fourth slid around her waist, pulling her into the beasts abominable frame. Its limbs seemed to contort and entangle like the branches of a tree and it felt as though only two of its arms (or legs) were attached to hands, the others merely being long and leading to a stub where there should have been fingers. She felt the apparitions breath ghost against her neck as its head came to rest on her shoulder, the occasional guttural growl scraping against her ear.

She stared into the wild eyes of her father. Those eyes which she had once placed her trust in were now full of nothing but madness. It was now that she noticed the severe fuchsia glow emitting from one of his pupils.

"I've made a pact with another demon." He claimed, addressing the being holding her. "I want to get rid of it. Help me!" He demanded.

_He did...? When...?_

The beast let out a chuckle which resounded far and wide, causing Louise to arch her back in perturbation. The smell of petrichor combined with the awful stench of rotting flesh emitting from the demon's twitching hand which was currently clamped over her mouth and nose. She gagged.

"The contract cannot be removed. Only passed on through the blood. You know this, yes? Otherwise, you wouldn't have brought such a...wonderful specimen." She squirmed as she felt the hungry beast come to inhale sharply at her nape. As its head moved she was able to catch a brief glimpse of several of its other beady pupils out the corner of her eye. The golden irises each peered down at her in odious relish at the way she quivered like a trapped fly in a web.

"I know." Came from her father. "Do what you have to." He said, perfectly cool about the ordeal.

Louise's wild eyes remained locked on the man. Surely, not? He couldn't do this to her? Not his own daughter!

The anonymous demon smirked to itself. _Humans. _It thought. _All the same selfish, greedy, pathetic creatures._

The passing of a demon contract was the height of treachery. This demon was well aware. However, he recognised the symbol on the human male's iris and snarled internally. Revenge was best served cold - and in these modern times much fewer people believed in demons. Business was scarce and the species was undergoing fierce competition for survival. It was so hungry.

"Very well then."

Louise's eyes clenched shut as she braced herself for whatever was to come, letting out a strangled cry.

However, what she didn't expect, was to hear her father start screaming.

Still held against the abomination, her eyes opened again. Her dad had dropped the torch, which had suspended the three in total darkness. She squinted, trying to see what was going on.

The demon's superior eyes could see perfectly, as smog entered the human male anyway possible and extracted his soul excruciatingly. With four of the demon's limbs still holding Louise in place, an additional two extended to come behind the man's knees, dragging him to the ground. One moved to snap his neck with a sickening crack, to which the beast responded with a malevolent grin.

"You see, my lady?" It addressed Louise, who felt suddenly nauseous. "Humans are weak and feeble. You're bones, they snap like a promise."

The final limb passed into her father's chest and ripped out his heart which filled the air with the crude wet sounds of tearing flesh. In a final strangled cry, he collapsed to the blood-spattered grass at Louise's bare feet.

There was a tense moment of silence. Louise trembled in those first few moments of delicious fear. Fear of the unknown which began to fester within her. Her head swam, the sounds of the rain falling to the ground was suddenly replaced with white noise and her limbs became heavy. Though she was unable to see, she had been able to hear what had happened perfectly. In a way, she was almost thankful for the blanket of darkness preventing her from seeing the brutal slaughter of both of her parents.

_Dad, what have you done?!_

"And now for you." The voices had changed into whispering, sounding like children. Swirling around her like a web and suffocating her. Mummifying her and tangling her in its mesh of dancing smog. The more she struggled, the tighter the strands held her in place. Her eye began to sting with the growth of the new contract symbol and in the next instant, her eyes snapped open at the sound of the familiar baritone voice.

"Louise? What on earth are you doing out here at this hour?"

Her late father's torch was picked up revealing the gaunt face of Sebastian. Louise frowned internally, as he seemed to pay no mind to the giant arachnid holding her and in that moment, everything made sense.

Sebastian's sudden appearance all those months ago wasn't an accident.

_He must be a monster too..._ The realisation hit her like a ton of bricks.

She squirmed, making wide eyes at him, unsure if she should be relieved he was here or if she should be terrified of him.

He tilted his head to the side as his narrowed eyes drank in the image before him. His ex-contractee lay dead at the feet of another demon, the glorious stench of decay caressing his senses. And his apparent new contract holder lay in the clutches of another demon too! **_That _**demon of all of them!

The wave of betrayal slammed into him like a force of nature. He snarled aloud, bearing his elongated fangs towards the grinning beast. Louise could barely move against the octoped's hold, watching through wide-eyes as Sebastian's face morphed from that of a handsome gentleman to something utterly feral. The torch in his hand flickered, before turning dark for the last time as it was audibly crushed in his fist.

Being cheated out of a meal, especially in these modern times was despicable. The act of passing on a contract to another human was low, even for a demon. A taboo.

The dull ache of hunger was a constant and now burned fierce within him.

Without sparing another second, he launched himself at the spider-demon and the trembling female in its grip.

* * *

_The chant Louise's dad used to summon the demon is actually lyrics to the song:_

_Vataha by Dzivia_

_ {Original song was in Belarusian, I got Google to translate it into Latin}_

**_Approximate English Translation:_**

_In the body's blood_

_Spear ribs_

_We are with you_

_Give us weapons_

_Give us eyes_

_Horror march_

_On the ground_

_Give us violence_

_Give us blood_

_That flow gush_

_On the ground_

_My hands grip blood and honey_

_Cross and flame purified from dirt_

_In the fire you will save_

_I_

_Will deliver thee_

_Save yourself_

_How did your body's rays shine?_

_I_

_Thirst to touch you_

_Come to me_

_Your body has a desire_


	3. Null of Moon

**Null of Moon**

Louise was abruptly dropped to the forest floor, grunting as she slammed into the cold hard ground. Using the momentum of the fall, she swiftly rolled away from the pair of barbarians and the corpses which lay at their feet.

There was no time to stop and ponder which was the correct way as she heard their coarse snarls and the harsh sounds of trees being crashed into - what sounded like wild dogs fighting. The tumultuous noises were like alarm bells ringing inside her head.

Her heart pounded in her ears as she began to sprint, adrenaline finally giving her the strength to move. In her bare feet and completely unable to see, she regularly stumbled and slammed face-first into unforgiving trees, letting out the occasional grunt or whimper as she did so. Her feet were completely numb from the cold and no doubt she would be bruised all over by tomorrow, but she didn't care. She pushed herself to keep going, the feral sounds in the distance reminding her that if she didn't, she wouldn't have a tomorrow at all.

_I can't let them catch me. They're going to **kill** me._

The wind howled in her ears, the rapid patter of her feet against the damp ground kept her rooted in reality. A stitch formed in her side and her legs cried out from the strain until eventually, the racket grew distant enough that she could barely hear anything. Allowing herself to slow to a stop, she hunched over, leaning heavily on shaking limbs. Only the sounds of her ragged panting and the occasional rustling of autumn leaves being carried by the wind kept her senses company. With her back leaning on one of the hundreds of tree trunks and a hand resting firmly on her aching side, she knew she was lost. Having no idea where the path was and being unable to see a hand in front of her face, an entirely new wave of panic set in.

She pushed off of the tree she was resting against, forcing her stiff legs to move. With the rain having stopped, she looked up into the diamond-esque stars as they strained through the winding black silhouettes of tree branches. She wondered if anyone else was looking up at the sky with as heavy a heart as she currently was. She decided that the best course of action was to keep going straight forward until she reached the outskirts of the woods. If she could reach a street or a road, she might be able to navigate her way home from there. With her plan set in motion, she began the walk into the abyss.

* * *

Leaves and branches audibly crunched under her feet, to which Louise responded with a sharp glare - as if that would somehow make the sounds any quieter. She had been stumbling across the uneven ground for mere minutes before inevitably, her foot caught on something and she tumbled to the ground with a solid thud.

She lay there for a second, sprawled out on her front with only her damp shorts and t-shirt. Her knees, hands, and chin bore the brunt of the fall, she ached from head to foot which was further exacerbated by the adrenaline beginning to wear off. Slowly, she sat up, bringing her knees to her chest. Tucking her head in and succumbing to her defeat, she silently wept. She thought of the glassy, lifeless eyes of her parent's rotting corpses and like a flooding dam, she broke. Even if she made it out alive, what would she do? How could she possibly go on with her life after losing the rest of her family? How could she return to normality after discovering that everything she thought she knew about the world was a lie?

Monsters are real. They've always been real. And to think her own father had called upon one of them...two of them now.

"I'm so lost..." She said breathlessly, hot tears still warming her cheeks.

"And yet, you are found."

Louise's head snapped up, her entire body seizing in pure terror. She sat rigid, wide eyes glancing frantically all around but she still couldn't see a thing.

That was the voice of Sebastian - she would recognise it anywhere. The voice of the man she had believed to be a mere "business partner" of her dad. The idea almost seemed comical now. No, the man who she thought was quite charming, the man who liked cats - someone who she was only beginning to trust - was a demon. A monster. The same species as the spider-like creature that held her captive, that had brutally slaughtered her father. Some kind of savage, going by the display earlier. Her stomach tightened when she felt a hand come to rest on her knee.

"What are you doing all the way out here?" He asked gently, eyes boring holes into the young woman who he was now stuck in a contract with. He sighed internally. She wasn't his first choice of meal but she would have to suffice. He would make do - he could use his centuries of experience in dealing with humans to get the flavour of her soul to the way he wanted it.

Completely worn out and unable to defend herself against the demon should she try to run again, she had little choice but to humour his question.

"I w-was...I just needed t-to get away from the other demon, and..." _You._ "my mum and dad are gone-!" Louise fell into a fit of hysterics, openly sobbing into her hands as she sat hunched over against a tree on the icy-cold ground.

He stared at her for a moment, seemingly in a trance. _Humans truly are fascinating creatures. _He simply couldn't understand the bond between human parents and their offspring. Why was Louise so upset? She had survived, had she not?

Being slightly at a loss of what to do, he opted for bringing the little human girl into his arms. He had learned long ago that humans can be comforted through touch, younger humans in particular. He could almost taste her misery and it made him salivate.

She stiffened when he moved to embrace her, awaiting some kind of harm to be brought to her. When nothing happened, she relaxed some and buried her face into the demon's chest, welcoming his warmth as the tears continued to stream from her burning eyes. One of which was hurting considerably more than the other - though in her state she paid this no mind. She heard the even beats of his heart and the perfectly calm breaths emanating from his chest and for one shining moment, she could almost forget about what he truly was. She could forget about the terrifying expression which had befallen his face and the horrific sounds of him snarling at the other demon. He sounded completely human now.

With the haze of her panic from earlier subsided, she was able to rationalise: _I__t was the spider-thing he was growling at. Not me..._

Sebastian stared down at her with dismay, as he realised he would now have to clean his tailcoat. And on top of that, he came to discover that he truly had his work cut out for him with this one. Although, negotiating the terms of their new contract should be easy enough now that her parents were dead.

"Come along. Let's get you home."

She didn't even hear him, barely registering as he picked her up and took to the air. She felt a rush of freezing wind, before her stomach flipped as though she was on a roller coaster and she let out a squeak in surprise. Within minutes they were back within the familiar territory of Louise's family home. Except this time, the darkness that covered the silent house appeared more deadly than ever. She was reminded of all her "irrational" fears of the dark when she was a child. They were stood at the bottom of the garden, Louise trembling as she gazed at the crooked house obscuring the full moon which hung still in the sky, a silent presence. Despite the perfectly serene expression on the demon's face, the moon shone on one half and projected eerie shadows onto the other, exaggerating his gaunt features and creating a distinctly sinister image. Like his dual face was giving her a glimpse into his darker nature.

Silent tears still streaming down her cheeks, she watched with bated breath as she was carried up the narrow pathway towards the harrowing structure. Sebastian seemed to glide flawlessly, Louise was barely even aware of his every step - it was like he was a serpent. She knew she should be relieved to be home and safe. But the silent household only hollowed her out, feelings of new-fangled loneliness bore a hole into the deepest depths of her soul that would never be filled.

Sebastian could taste it. Her soul flickered like a faltering lightbulb. He could feel how she quivered in his arms, hear her heart hammering frantically against her so-breakable ribcage. He longed to be able to crush her pathetic form in his hands, to feel chunks of her flesh squelch beneath his nails and taste her blood on his tongue. He was almost salivating at the mere thought.

As they entered, Louise expected him to drop her on her feet and then leave. Her father was dead - there was no point in him remaining with her, was there?

The thought of him leaving her alone should have relieved her. She knew she should be hoping that he would saunter off back to Hell or wherever place Demons dwelt. To her own self-loathing, she discovered that she didn't want him to leave. He was inhuman. A monster. But she didn't want to be alone and with her family all gone, there was no one else. The thought of it was enough to set a fresh wave of turmoil over her.

Her anxiety was replaced with confusion when he didn't put her down. Instead, he kicked the door closed behind them and began to carry her upstairs. She glanced up at him through bleary eyes, finding his face void of any readable emotion.

"What are you doing?" Her wavering voice made her grimace. She sounded pathetic. Like a lost child.

"You're freezing. And could do with a bath." He explained.

Louise flinched at how his voice sounded. Matching his expression, it lacked feeling or empathy for the state she was in. Feeling like a burden, she returned as the bathroom door was pushed open: "I can do that myself..."

She was placed on the closed seat of the toilet, where she took a moment to gape at her reflection in the mirror. The sounds of running water became muffled as she continued to stare at her horrific face.

Damp ruddy cheeks and bloodshot eyes stared back at her. Matted blonde hair hung limp and damp from the earlier rain. Encrusted blood formed a macabre stain on her cheek and scratches littered her exposed limbs. Her shorts and T-shirt were also soaked and clung to her body, dirt from where she had fallen in the mud-coated her knees and palms. In the bright light of the bathroom, it was additionally revealed that something was very wrong. She hadn't noticed it when in the darkened woods, now there was no denying that she couldn't see properly out of one of her eyes.

Believing it to be an injury somehow sustained outside, she gasped aloud before standing up and leaning closer to inspect her reflection with a critical eye. Now that she was up close she could plainly see that the blood had, in fact, meandered from her eye. All she could see out of it was lights and the faint silhouettes of shadows. Over her pupil lay the unmistakable, glowing mark of a pentacle.

She turned around sharply to see that Sebastian was openly leering right at her. Her breath caught in her throat as he moved towards her, relishing in the look of fear which had come across her. His bare hand found her cheek, eyes drawing her in and causing her to come to a still. Every tense muscle in her body relaxed as she fell into a trance. His touch was gentle, almost calming and a soft smile was set on his face. It was contagious, for her heart rate descended and she was able to form the question: "What's wrong with my eye?"

His mouth curled up into a malicious grin, revealing jagged teeth that gleamed like knives behind parted lips. He leaned in and for a moment she thought he might kiss her. A terrifying part of her would have let him - but instead, his tongue darted out to taste the crimson stain beneath her eye. It was a natural part of the contract forming process - the mark would cause the demon's prey to bleed and enable the demon to have a taste of the soul they would be working towards. At the taste of her blood, his eyes flashed and a guttural snarl sounded from the back of his throat. He approved. Very much so. The symbol on his hand burned with the finalisation of the new contract and like that, the spell was broken.

Louise reeled back from his touch, her senses slamming back into her two-fold, along with the realisation of what he had just done. Immediately, she recoiled in disgust, wide eyes goggling up at the grinning beast, who was purring in contentment.

She had potential, no doubt. A little preparation and she would be up to his palettes standards in no time.

She scowled at him, bringing her fisted hand up to wipe away his (presumably) saliva. "You..." She began.

"And with that, our contract is sealed." He whispered. "My mark is quite becoming of you, wouldn't you say?"

"This is..." She glanced back at the mirror, at the hideous mark over her pupil, obscuring her vision. "Can you take it away?" She glanced back up at him, expression pleading.

He chuckled menacingly, eyes glinting. "That's not possible I'm afraid. Even if it was...how could I let you go after your father betrayed me?" He gripped her jaw in one hand while presenting the back of his other to her. Forcing her to look up and ensuring that she saw the matching symbol on the back of his palm.

"Betray?" She asked incredulously. "Do demons even have a concept of betrayal?"

"He passed on his contract. He made a promise and broke it. I believe that fits the definition of the word?" He gripped her jaw tighter. "I do hope you aren't thinking of following in his footsteps..." his voice dropped to a low growl, eyes narrowing in warning.

She swallowed the lump in her throat. "What...does all of this mean exactly? What do the markings do?" She pried his hand off of her face.

"We can discuss the nuances of our contract later." He turned and switched off the taps.

"So...you're not leaving then?" Her hands gripped her knees, turning her knuckles bone white.

"No." In fact, he wouldn't let her out of his sight. Humans are all liars. Cheaters. Stealers. Each and every single one of them. He would compare them to a bunch of apes though of course, that would be offensive to the apes. In the months that he had spent around the house, she certainly didn't seem to have any tenable next of kin that she could even pass on the contract to. _I'm taking no chances._ He snarled internally, the sting of having lost his meal combined with the constant dull ache of hunger and formed a dangerous concoction. Now he would need to start all over again. While he had manipulated her father to be closer to his own tastes - he had never imagined that the stupid ape would go and do this.

Fear gripped at Louise's very bones. She was never going to see her parents again. All she had was him now. And he was a vile, bloodthirsty creature. Her eyes firmly settled on the now filled bathtub.

_There is one way out..._

"The temperature should be adequate for your weak human skin. Do you require assistance?" His head tilted to the side, observing her involuntary body language. She was strangely relaxed. All tension had left her and her soul had darkened to give off an air of resignation. He was thoroughly puzzled, as silent tears still continued to stream down her face. Did they ever end?

"No. Thanks." She murmured, looking up at him when he still didn't move. She opened her mouth to ask what his problem was but he cut her off.

"Are you sure?" He took a step closer with a frown, uneased by the sudden change which came over her. What was going on inside of her head?

Her brow furrowed into an agitated scowl. "Yes." She stood up and giving him a weak shove, she ordered him out.

Her puny attempt at physically forcing him out made him chuckle and reluctantly, he complied. A small kindness for making him laugh.

She locked the door after he left, turning to gaze at the still waters. She waited until she heard his light footsteps fade away, she didn't care to wonder where they were going, though it distinctly sounded as though he was headed towards her bedroom.

_It doesn't matter._ She thought earnestly. Nothing would matter anymore.

Not even bothering to undress, she approached what she intended to be her final resting place. She doubted that Sebastian would bother to bury her. She briefly contemplated writing a note - before scoffing at the thought.

_A note to who, exactly?_

Her mind flickered to Logan. Perhaps she could send him a text...?

She immediately decided against it. He would rush over, and promptly be confronted by the demon. And there was nothing to explain anyway.

Her limbs moved outside of her own control. All she knew was that her life was now completely destroyed - and she was now bound to a demon, courtesy of her late father.

She just didn't want to go on anymore. She didn't want to be alone. And she didn't want to have to deal with the afterimage of her dead mum and dad.

Louise climbed into the tub, allowing the water to soak into the material of her grubby pyjamas. Taking a final deep breath, she lay down, submerging herself entirely. Water immediately filled her nose, leaving an unpleasant burning sensation down the back of her throat. The pressure on her chest kept on building until almost two minutes had passed and it became unbearable. Her lungs screamed, begging for desperately needed oxygen.

_Oh God, this is it. _

She was vaguely aware of feeling the water rippling around her as her limbs jerked beneath the surface, the water seeped into the corners of her mouth and her closed eyes as numbness overcame her. This was more difficult than she thought it would be. She was terrified. Properly scared and a part of her was still trying to cling on to life. But that part of her was growing weaker by the second, being replaced by the desire for freedom.

_Perhaps I'll see them again._

Her thoughts became more delirious as her body finally began to accept its fate. Filled lungs and steadily declining heart rate, she was completely unaware when she was grabbed by the upper arms and hauled from the clutches of the still-warm water and a stern voice growled at her.

"You aren't supposed to die yet!"


	4. The Empty Woman

**The Empty Woman**

Five minutes. Five minutes he had left her alone when he sensed that something was amiss.

Technically, it was actually four minutes and twenty-seven seconds when Sebastian heard her breathing come to a stop. He too, came to a still, sharp ears listening intently as he tried to figure out what she was doing. When several minutes passed and he failed to hear her gasp for air, he made his way back to the bathroom to see what was going on. He smelled no blood and her heart was still beating - so why was she not breathing?

Breaking the door open was simple enough. He almost cackled at Louise's shy attempts to keep him out, but his humour was swiftly replaced by confusion upon seeing her. A frown creasing his face, he approached the bathtub cautiously. He had witnessed and even assisted humans to bathe before, but never like this. Never had he seen a human bathe with their clothes still on, and never had he seen one lying underneath the water. It almost looked as if she was sleeping. Her fair hair floated around her still form and a faint tinge of blue dotted her lips and the base of her neck.

Taking note of the tiny bubbles escaping from her mouth, Sebastian leaned in. "That is oxygen. Don't you need oxygen?" Humans were incredibly stupid, he would hardly be surprised if one were to forget to breathe. But the moment he said the words, he sensed that something was going very wrong. Her heart rate was coming to a slow and some outside force was gradually draining her life away.

His lips curled up to reveal razor-like teeth and he let out a poisonous hiss. His meal was dying! She was trying to escape him, just like her father!

He stared down at her for a moment.

...he could just let her die. He could gobble up her withered, unseasoned soul as is and leave it at that...

Then, a second, much more entertaining idea sprung to mind. He could snatch up any old soul if he wanted it that badly - though getting into a contract in these modern times was a rare and difficult feat. He would be a fool to willingly let this one slip from between his scaly fingertips. It would be far too kind, letting her go without punishment. Without allowing himself the pleasure of seeing the petrification in her eyes as she gazed up at him, begging him to show her some mercy. Grovelling for his forgiveness. The evil thought had grown in his already malevolent mind, and soon he was firmly set upon his scheme. He grinned, thinking of their delightful future together and with that, he reached in and grabbed her limp body, dragging her from the depths of the water.

"You aren't supposed to die yet!"

He held her up by her underarms, giving her a rough shake for good measure. "You would dare try to escape me? Do you think you can escape a demon? You humans are all so pathetic!"

Her head rolled back and forth limply as water trickled from her slightly parted lips. Still, she failed to answer. Sebastian had never seen such a peaceful expression on her face. It was sickening.

Yet he was befuddled. He had lifted her from the water, so why wasn't she responding? Her heart was still beating, albeit weakly and her breathing sounded strangled, like something was lodged in her throat. He snarled up at her. "I would advise against ignoring me, human. I'm anything but patient. Open your eyes and look at me or I shall retract my kindness and devour your soul at once." He would show her his true form when she did, if only to garner the sadistic satisfaction of seeing her cower away from him.

Yet she still didn't move. She didn't even attempt to struggle against his grip. Letting out a growl, he grasped the collar of her shirt in one hand. The threads threatened to rip apart as he held her above the floor, hanging limp, her feet suspended in the air. He lifted his free hand and brought it across her cheek in a hard slap which echoed amidst the bathroom.

"I said open your eyes!" He bellowed, eyes burning like raging crimson flames. He slapped her again, her damp flesh beginning to redden from the impact but it was to no avail. He laid her down on the cool tiles, brow furrowing with the realisation that her breathing had now stopped completely. "What have you done?" He tilted his head to the side, genuine curiosity bubbling within him. As well as rage. It festered within him like a plague. He could barely hear her heartbeat now, and placing his hand over the trembling aortic pump only confirmed what he already knew.

His gaze remained fixated on her pale face. He truly was clueless about the inner workings of human anatomy. He sneered down at her. "Such a weak race. You require so much to remain alive. Even when you do have everything you need, you still die so easily."

She remained still. Drops of water drew clear lines of moisture from her nose, moving down to meet her tangled locks of damp hair.

His hand remained over her heart, and in a move of frustration, he shoved his palm down hard against her chest with a beastly snarl.

Then, upon lifting it, he heard as her heartbeat increased in rhythm. It was only briefly and a little, yet it caused him to raise an eyebrow in intrigue, before he repeated the action. Again, the same result. He wasn't entirely sure what he was doing but he continued, eager to have her heartbeat return to a normal tempo.

However, when she still failed to begin breathing again, he scowled. Humans needed air - how could he fix her? If he could give her air somehow...

While breathing wasn't necessary for demons, he could certainly mimic the process. He was also aware that humans could breathe through their mouth as well as their nose, which would make it much easier for him to deliver oxygen. With that in mind, Sebastian took in an almighty breath of air and clamped his lips over her own. With his first attempt, air escaped from the corners of her mouth and her nostrils. However, for what he lacked in knowledge he made up for in his ability to learn quickly. He pinched her nose and continued, until her chest eventually began to expand, aided by his continual pressing down on her chest. Her nose began to bruise and something in her chest had begun to crack from the force he was using but his main focus was on restoring life to her pathetic, withering body.

In one final breath, Louise's face twitched and her body seemed to jerk to life beneath his imposing stare. He leaned back, watching intently as his contractor turned to the side and with a sputter, water and mucus trailed down from her mouth. She let out a groan and her eyelids began to twitch.

Her eyes flickered open to reveal a bleary image of his glaring face. His eyes continued to glow brightly, his hands curled into fists and he let out a coarse growl. "I may have saved your life but don't think for one second it was for your own benefit." He snarked, grinning in malevolent satisfaction at the flash of fear that sprung across her face. Then a moment later it was gone, her eyes rolled back into her head as unconsciousness descended upon her.

He scoffed. "Again, you fall unconscious. Such a fragile race you are." He sighed in exasperation, moving to scoop her up, her head lulling back and her wet matted locks of hair swaying limply as she was carried into her bedroom.

As he laid her still-damp body in bed, he evaluated her life signs. She was breathing normally and her heart was beating - that was good enough. His head tilted to the side as he observed her sleep. Had he not been able to hear for himself, he would have assumed her to be a corpse. Sickly pale and frigid, he took great amusement in watching her suffer.

It was her own fault for trying to escape from him.

* * *

She was cloaked in darkness. A thousand staring eyes had stolen over her, unblinking. And she could feel each and every single one burning into her flesh. Something was moving in the dark. Waiting. Biding its time. Was this death?

The cold descended upon her like a bucket of icy water and the blackness slowly started to reach towards her. It was the same dream she always had, except this time she didn't struggle. She didn't try to run or call for help, instead, she reached out a trembling hand towards the abyss, a welcoming smile on her lips.

Unbeknownst to her, the abyss smiled back.

Then her eyes began to open slowly, unpleasant sensations creeping over her body, one of these feelings being harsh, searing pain in her chest. She groaned, her limbs aching with fatigue and her ribcage being laden with splitting hot agony, making her still-closed eyes water. Her nose was throbbing too, pulsing with every breath she took.

"Mmmph," Her brow furrowed in discomfort as she came to discover that her clothes and hair were damp, soaking the bedsheets she was immersed in. She struggled to breathe properly, her distinct wheezing laboured and escaping her in short quick gasps. She found herself unable to sit up properly and when trying to open her eyes she discovered that she barely possessed the strength to do even that.

Her blurry surroundings shifted and danced before her but her unfocused eyes could make no sense of where she was. She was laying in bed - she could tell that much. Some strangled, weak light from the twilight sky illuminated the corner of a wall and the blurry outline of artworks which hung on it. The scent of cheap perfume and biblicore wafted into her stinging nostrils and then she realised she was in fact, in her own bedroom.

How was she still alive?

A shadow suddenly appeared over her. She sensed the mattress dip on both sides of her and the presence of a body hovering mere inches above her own. "Awake are you?"A deadly cold voice growled in her ear - its familiar breath licking against her face.

"Wha..." Her eyes widened when the ghoulish face of Sebastian shifted into focus. "What happened?"

"I could ask you the same." His wide, staring eyes radiated nothing but glacial cruelty and his gently parted lips seemed to be just barely suppressing a sneer. "Trying to escape from me were you?"

"Escape...?" She frowned up at the livid demon.

"If you should learn anything from your Sire, it's that attempting to escape a demon contract is not a good idea. You're lucky I decided to resuscitate you - I could have easily taken your soul and been on my way." His hand twitched with the desire to inflict pain with the fear that flashed in her wide eyes but he fought against it, clenching his fist where it was rested beside her head. If he accidentally killed her now his efforts would have gone to waste.

"Then why didn't you?" She whispered.

"Because that would have been tremendously boring." _And I won't allow your attempt to escape our contract go unpunished. _"I can't understand. What sort of creature welcomes death?"

Her eyes burned with the formation of hot, blinding tears which sent ripples of pleasure through the demon above her. "I just didn't..." She began in a broken whisper.

"Didn't what?" He tilted his head to the side, facial expression lacking even the slightest hint of sympathy.

She swallowed the lump in her throat. She doubted he would ever understand and opted to change the subject. "...why did my Dad do it?"

He regarded her for a moment, before scowling. "I do not know. We had an agreement, him and I. I suppose-"

"No. I mean why did he kill Mum?" She cut him off.

"To summon another demon."

"What was the agreement you and him had?" Referring to her late father made her stomach tighten but she had to know. She had to understand what exactly she would be getting herself into.

His expression hardened and his eyes narrowed at her. "...all in good time."

She sighed, letting out a shudder. "Can you get off me now?"

He reared back, moving away in one swift movement and his lips curled up into a sneer. When she began to sit up he frowned at her. "What precisely are you doing? You are still incredibly weak. Should you not rest?"

Her teeth chattered and pain shot up through her torso in sporadic bursts with every slight movement she made. But she was still wearing her soaked pyjamas as Sebastian hadn't even attempted to remove them. "I need to get warm. Get out while I change."

"Do you require assistance?"

She looked at him strangely, limbs shaking as she pried the quilt off of her. "No." She frowned, noting that the blanket felt unusually heavy.

"Call on me if you change your mind." And with that the door was closed, finally leaving her on her own.

However, as soon as she made to stand her legs gave way from beneath her and her knees thudded against the carpet. She groaned, thinking that perhaps she should have taken Sebastian up on his offer. Massaging her legs, she made to stand while attempting to ignore her complaining muscles. The house was freezing, lacing her limbs with goosebumps and turning her hands and feet completely numb. She staggered to her drawers on unstable legs, pulling out the first pair of pyjamas she laid hands on, uncaring of what they looked like. As long as they were dry. Shedding herself of the damp layers of clothing, her shivers increased two-fold, the cold air combining with her clammy skin and forming a horrid concoction.

The moment she was fully changed she screeched, feeling cool slender fingers wrap around her wrist. She whipped her head around, meeting an all-too-familiar red gaze. Her cheeks were suddenly aflame. "How long have you been there?!"

"As soon as I left you collapsed to the ground. I couldn't very well leave you to writhe around like a blind slug, could I?"

"When did you even come in?!" He had seemingly just appeared out of nowhere, she hadn't even noticed the door opening.

_Is something wrong with my hearing now too?_

He scoffed. "You think a door is enough to stop me? Now come. Your body temperature has not yet restored." He tugged on her arm, leading her out of the darkened bedroom.

"Did you see me naked?" Her voice wavered - either from the cold or outrage, she didn't know anymore. She was sure he could feel the heat radiating from her face though to her dismay, her arm was too weak to pull away from his grip.

He sniggered. "I wouldn't think much about it if I were you. Only humans are bashful about their own bodies. Another aspect of your kind I simply fail to understand."

"Well, I just wanted to maintain some dignity!"

"A demon has just saved you from drowning in a bathtub - I didn't believe you had any left to preserve." He remarked, still dragging her downstairs and towards the living room.

She opened her mouth to respond, then realised she didn't have a suitable comeback. He was right - and a part of her felt like she ought to be thanking him. And yet, another part of her wished that he had left her there. A second escape attempt was now out of the question, she couldn't go through that for a second time and she was certain that Sebastian would never afford her the opportunity again.

Opening the living room door revealed the kindled fireplace casting the room in a soft amber glow. It was cosy and full of nostalgia. A hazy memory of sitting beside that very same fireplace, at a younger age on a winters day flashed behind her eyes. Surrounded by fairy lights and the warm eyes of her Mum and Dad from where they sat on the couch behind her, watching the same old Christmas movies on repeat.

She turned to look at the sofa, as though hoping to see them sitting there once more. But the couch was empty. And the realisation set a fresh wave of anguish over her.

The demon finally released her from his grip. "Sit by the fire until you have returned to a healthy temperature."

Not needing to be told twice, she made her way to sit on the plush carpet in front of the dancing flames, which reflected off of her stormy irises. Silence fell between the two, deafening to Louise, who supposed that the house would always be this quiet from now on.

Sebastian stood observing, like a shadow. Louise couldn't even hear him breathing or fidgeting like a human would. Had it not been for him moving to place a blanket over her, she would have believed that he had left her on her own. The thought was enough to set a wave of terror over her. She was pretty sure he wouldn't leave given what he had said to her - yet an irrational part within her feared he may change his mind.

She gazed up at him through bleary eyes, noting how he seemed to hover over her. "...you said we would talk about the contract."

"It can wait until tomorrow. Rest for now."

Yes, it could all wait until tomorrow. Once she was less fragile, it would begin.


	5. Cold Blood

**Cold Blood**

Daylight shone in through the open blinds, beaming right onto the closed eyes of Louise where she lay asleep on the floor amidst a huddle of blankets and pillows. The fireplace had been extinguished hours ago, though the blazing heat still lingered in the room and coated the inanimate adolescent in a sheen of sweat.

Sebastian had remained stood over her, listening to the sounds of life trembling within her. Not once did any of his muscles twitch with the urge to move - he was perfectly content to ensure that she returned to health as quickly as possible, as per his new duty.

When she began to awaken, his gaze didn't falter. Even when her eyes flickered open and instantly found his dire form, he still failed to move. If Louise hadn't known any better she may have assumed he was a wax figure. She squinted against the bright rays assaulting what remained of her eyesight. "You know, that's pretty creepy." She claimed, her voice hoarse with the clutches of sleep.

Her words seemed to jolt him to life. He blinked before his expressionless face morphed into the guise of a smile. "Sleep well?"

She remained laying where she was, rubbing her legs together under the duvet which had seemingly just appeared while she was unconscious. "I suppose..." She muttered, moving to rub at her hooded eyes.

"You must be hungry. Please - come into the kitchen, I'll prepare you something." He turned with the expectation that she would follow behind him.

"...actually I'm...not very hungry." She didn't even attempt to sit up. Even the thought of food was enough to make her feel nauseous.

He froze by the threshold and looked at her strangely. She was a peculiar one - what sort of animal would reject offerings of food? He turned to her. "If you are worried about eating the food I prepare, I can assure you it's fit for human consumption. In fact, I daresay I'm a better cook than most humans."

She let out a long-suffering sigh. "I know, you've cooked for my fa... You've cooked before. That's...not the issue. You could be Gordon Ramsay for all I care, I'm still not hungry."

"Has it anything to do with the demise of your parents?"

Louise inhaled sharply at his blunt question, missing the way his eyes glinted in malevolent joy. Blinking away the fresh wave of sorrow which came over her, she offered him a singular nod.

"You woke up crying last night." He prodded, an underlying tone of mockery coming into his voice.

"Can you blame me?" Her words were barely even a whisper though he seemed to hear her anyway.

"As it stands, I can. I don't understand, why are you so upset?" He tilted his head to the side, feigning curiosity.

She looked up at him with wide eyes, a bewildered frown etched into her expression and her mouth hanging open momentarily before she attempted to answer him. "They were my mum and dad..." Her voice began to waver. "Wouldn't you be traumatised if your parents were violently slaughtered right in front of you?"

"No."

She laughed bitterly. "Of course not. You're a demon. You wouldn't understand."

He smirked at her. "No, I wouldn't. Demons aren't so easy to kill. Your race on the other hand, is weak in all aspects. I shouldn't be surprised that the loss of your parents would reduce you to a blubbering fool."

She gritted her teeth, blinding hot tears flowing down her flushed cheeks. His words tore into her like swift, hard blows to the chest. "Heartless bastard." She spat.

Her insult only served to amuse the grinning beast - who let out a chuckle at her attempts to quell her emotions. "What else would you expect?"

Her gaze remained fixated on the carpet. "I dunno. If we're all so weak why do you bother with us?"

"You amuse us."

"...well. My point still stands. You can't force me to eat." She exhaled, moving to turn away from him and stare at the empty fireplace, only to yelp when she was grabbed by the upper arms and hauled around to come face to face with the stern gaze of Sebastian, who had suddenly appeared over her. His eyes were alight and his midnight eyebrows were creased in obvious frustration at her stubbornness.

"I think you will find that in fact, I can." He remained over her where she lay, one of his hands moving to clamp down on her cheeks, forcing her lips to pucker. She sent him a glare and attempted to pull away but it was to no avail, as her head was flat against the pillow on the floor. Ignoring her feeble attempts to escape his grip, he continued. "You are weak. You require sustenance for energy to help you to recover. I will not stand idly by as you succumb to a cycle of self-destruction."

"What does it matter to you?! Why do you care?!" She lamented, near screaming in his face.

His stony expression didn't waver. "Call it an obligation of the contract." He relinquished his grip on her face, freeing her to reach up to massage her cheeks.

"You keep mentioning some bullshit contract. Can you just explain to me what it is?" She spat, quickly becoming sick of the demons cryptic language.

He stood up, presenting her with his open hand. "Yes, let's discuss it."

Hesitantly, she accepted his hand, groaning when she was dragged into the kitchen.

"Sit." He directed, making his way over to the stove.

Complying, she glared at the back of his head. "I've not suddenly gotten hungry since you last brought it up two seconds ago." He paid her no mind as he worked, swiftly cracking eggs into the frying pan and beginning to chop up some vegetables he found in the fridge. The aroma made her want to dry heave - and not because it smelled particularly bad. At his silence, she went on. "What has looking after me got to do with a contract?"

"It is in my interests to care for you. Just as it's in the farmer's interests to care for his cattle."

Louise felt all of the air rush out of her and her heart just about seized in her chest. He didn't even turn to look at her, smirking to himself as he heard her reaction. "Y...you mean I'm...you're...going to eat me?" Came from Louise as she took a step back from him.

"Someday, yes. After the terms of our contract are met."

"Which are?"

"That's up to you." He turned, his handsome face appearing almost innocent in the early glow of morning shining on him through the window. "Tell me, what is it that you desire? Wealth? Fame? Power?" His eyes darkened. "Perhaps even...revenge on the demon that slaughtered your father?"

She cocked an eyebrow. "No, not really. That doesn't seem like a fair deal. So if, say, someone finally got all of the wealth they wanted, they would immediately get eaten? Before they could enjoy it?"

"If I have fulfilled my end of the contract it's only fair."

"Fair." She repeated, before scoffing. "Yeah, sounds like a bargain."

"Everything has a price."

"That's why my Dad wanted rid of it..." Her eyes widened in realisation.

Sebastian only stared at her, narrowing his eyes at the mention of Louise's late father. Her father was lucky that the demon had eaten his soul before he had gotten there - for if given half the chance he would have broken every bone in his body before violently ripping his soul from his being.

At his silence, she went on. "You would have eaten him! What did he even want from you?!" She screeched, well and truly bewildered.

"I'm not at liberty to say, I do apologise." He didn't sound in the least bit apologetic. In fact, he sounded almost amused.

"...I don't want it."

He paused in his food preparation to turn and stare at her. "I beg your pardon?" He asked dangerously.

"You fucking heard me. I don't want the damn contract. I don't want to be eaten."

"Less than twelve hours ago, you made an attempt on your own life. Now you suddenly value it?"

She gritted her teeth at how amused he sounded. "I said. I don't. Want. To be. Eaten."

"You know, if you had been successful in your suicide attempt, I would have eaten you anyway."

"...you fucking what? Why? We hadn't even arranged terms of the contract! How is that fair? How is any of this fair?!"

"That mark on your eye symbolises that your soul is promised to me. Trying to break the contract by ending your own life is a violation and gives me the right to consume you...Any other demon wouldn't have spared your pathetic little life. Some gratitude wouldn't go amiss."

She gave a sardonic laugh. "Gratitude? You've condemned me to live as a...a sack of meat. That's all I am to you, isn't it? Dinner."

"Of course. You're a human." He said, as though it were self-explanatory.

More tears spilt over her eyes and her knuckles turned stark white as she clenched her fists. "But you lived with us...you spoke to us about cats and...the weather, you took care of us." Her voice broke. "You became part of our family and you would have just eaten him? Then what?"

The fluidity of his movements didn't falter as he transferred the contents of the sizzling frying pan onto a plate, footsteps clicking against the floor as he carried it over to the glowering blonde.

"Then I would have moved on to the next meal. I may look human my dear, but don't ever mistake me for one." Placing the food in front of her, he sent her a malicious grin. "Eat up."

She peered down at the omelette, her stomach churning. She didn't even attempt to pick up the knife and fork, instead opting to clasp her hands in her lap. A strange sense of betrayal clawed away at her insides, she had just lost her parents. Now she realised she never even had Sebastian.

Sebastian took the seat opposite, clasping his hands beneath his chin. A tight-lipped smile broke out across his face as he carefully observed his contractor. "Regardless of whether you want to be in a contract with me or not, it simply cannot be helped. I would advise you to think of something you want from this, it will make both of our lives easier."

"Can't we just get rid of it? I'm not interested. How do I get rid of it?"

"You can't. Even if you could, I won't allow it."

"Fuck you. My Dad found a way to do it, and so will I, you bastard. You won't get my soul. I'd rather throw myself off a bridge than allow you anywhere near me."

His hand suddenly twitched. He could feel his teeth beginning to elongate in his mouth and his nails barely beginning to extend into lethal talons. "In case you failed to notice, your father is dead because he tried to rid himself of a demon contract. You wouldn't be any better off."

She shook her head stubbornly, excusing herself. Her chair scraped against the floor as she left her untouched omelette on the table. "Well, Sebastian - if that's even your name - the only thing I want from you is to be left alone. See yourself out."

The demon let out a beastly growl, his handsome face contorted into something feral. Deep furrows lined his glowering eyes, his lips parted into a sneer - revealing jagged shark-like teeth. Sharp claws tore through satin gloves and in an instant, he had her on the floor.

Her head bounced off of the ground with an audible smack and she let out a surprised shriek. She hadn't even seen or heard him move before he was on top of her. Her head was spinning from the impact on the hard tiled floor. Before she could even attempt to push him away, his brute hands had found her gullet, clamping down in a vice and causing her to begin hyperventilating. She brought up her hands to claw at him as she felt the life being squeezed out of her. Her eyes filled with tears of an entirely new kind and her face began to discolour as she struggled to get a sound out. She quickly found that going out from oxygen starvation wasn't any more pleasant the second time around.

She could see his terrifying expression glaring down at her, black scales beginning to speckle and spread across white marble skin like ugly varicose veins, and for the first time, she truly saw the monster hiding underneath of the beautiful illusion. His face was becoming less human, and more like that of an animal and she could have sworn she saw a blanket of onyx feathers dancing around them, many of which landed on the floor beside her. The grim image of him began to double, triple, fazing into one another like swirling phantoms.

It was only when she fell unconscious that Sebastian decided she'd had enough. He released her neck from his grip, satisfied when she began breathing again.

The monstrosity of a creature gazed down at her in malicious rage. "Like father like daughter, hmm?" He hissed, moving away from the limp figure on the floor.

He took a moment to compose himself, his appearance morphing and shifting back into that of his disguise - scales into skin, fangs into teeth and sharp talons into blunt nails. Even the threads of his torn gloves seemed to sew themselves together and the feathers cascading over the two disappeared into a veil of black smog. He stared down at her blankly, adjusting his tie before cautiously wondering over to her.

_Far too close..._

Why kill her now? The fun had only just started. "You're far too amusing to kill straight away..."

He stooped down to pick her up. "This is the second time in twenty-four hours I've carried your unconscious body to your room. Though I suppose..." He gave a dark chuckle. "This time, it's my own fault."


	6. Human Nature

**Human Nature**

It was still light by the time Louise regained consciousness. Upon opening her eyes she was confronted by swirling black dots and she was abruptly overcome with a hacking cough. She sat bolt upright, head swimming and her hand moving to clutch at her aching neck. Her eyes flickered towards the mirror propped up against the wall which was visible from her bed, her gaze lingering on the collar of purple bruises now adorning her pale flesh. Tentatively, she padded her fingers against the mauve contusions, wincing as she went. It took her a moment to realise what had happened.

Her fingers suddenly moved to clench around her bedsheets at the memory of Sebastian's brute hands squeezing her trachea. Her quivering knuckles strained and turned bone white as she recalled the way his face had twisted and became that of a beast. As he had her pinned against the ground, it reminded her of the giant arachnid that had clamped her against its abominable frame - the very creature that had slaughtered her father right in front of her.

_They're the same species... _She had to remind herself._ He said it himself, he may look human but on the inside..._ She shuddered. Was he a giant spider too?

As she sat there, a terrifying part of her wished that Sebastian had just finished her off.

_But he didn't... He stopped. Why did he stop?_

Perhaps he was different in some aspects, though from what she had seen, demons all seemed to share an affinity for tormenting humans. They all lacked a fundamental level of empathy for other creatures and they were all inherently vicious creatures who took joy in killing.

_But that doesn't explain why he stopped...or why he saved me from drowning..._

There came a stillness about the room as she listened to the wind lapping against the trees outside and the rain pelting across the window. She kept an ear out for Sebastian's footsteps, heart racing as she realised he would likely still be in the house somewhere. It was only a matter of time before he came for her.

She reached for her mobile phone where it rested on her bedside table and turning it on revealed it was a little past eleven in the morning. She moved off of her bed, her legs threatening to buckle under her as she made her way over to the door. But when it failed to open, her heart leapt into her mouth and a frown ghosted her face. She tried it again, tugging as hard as she could manage. Still, it didn't budge.

_Why would he lock the door?_

In fact, her door didn't even have a lock on the outside to begin with. There was no doubt in her mind that Sebastian was responsible, though she couldn't understand how or why he had done it.

The room was cast in darkness from the blackout curtains, though some tired daylight still managed to permeate the room. Drawing back the curtains and trying the window revealed it was also stuck tight. Even if it wasn't, her room was on the second floor - there was no way that climbing out was an option.

Trying the door yet again, she let out a groan, rubbing her forehead and trying to ease the migraine that was splintering behind her temples. Did she even really want to get out? Supposing that she made it out, **he** would be hot on her heels.

The adolescent came to sit on the bed again, sinking down into the springs of the mattress and running her fingers through her matted hair.

What should she do? What exactly was that monster planning on doing with her now that she had made her position on the contract quite clear?

The whole situation didn't feel real. Yet the pain in her limbs, the soreness in her head and her heart hammering against her ribcage told her that this was all actually happening.

"Oh no, " she whispered under her breath, tears starting to seep from her eyes once more. "This is so fucked up. This is so fu-…"

A sudden vibration reverberated across her mattress and brought her attention to her mobile phone.

She picked it up cautiously - as though it would somehow do her harm. Upon checking the caller ID, she let out a groan and hesitantly answered.

"...Logan?"

"Hey. Are you coming into College today?"

Her eyes momentarily widened. She had completely forgotten what day it was. "Uh...no, I don't think so." She winced at how raspy she sounded and how her voice wavered.

"Oh...are you alright?"

"Y-yeah!...Just a bit sick. Must be coming down with something." A sudden cold rush of air swept over her, causing her to tremble. She glanced back at the door, revealing it was still firmly shut.

"Alright, well-"

She went rigid when her phone was abruptly snatched out of her hand. She looked up and her entire body jerked back in terror when she found that Sebastian was standing right beside the bed and towering over her. Without a word exchanged between the two and with him still leering down at her, he slowly began to crush the innocent device in his enclosed fist.

She didn't have a word to offer in defence of the object, staring up at him with wide, terrified eyes and bated breath. Though she couldn't put any logic to it, she couldn't help but feel as though she had been doing something wrong.

Still perfectly stoic, the heathen stooped down to her level so that his crimson eyes were gazing deeply into hers. Her lips were quivering, spilling shallow, scared breaths onto Sebastian's ghoulish, yet somehow handsome face. His eyes held no discernable emotion, completely blank and unwavering but the way he was staring deeply into her own grey, watery eyes sent her heart into overdrive and twisted her stomach into sickening knots.

"Who were you speaking to?" His stony voice made her feel even more petrified.

Stuttering, she barely managed to choke out: "It...it was j-just a friend."

His jaw visibly tightened. "You would do well not to lie to me, Louise."

She clasped her hands tightly together in her lap, desperately trying to ease their shaking. "F-fine. He's my boyfriend." _Why does it matter?_

He stood upright, bringing a hand to his chin and pondering for a moment. "Will he be joining us at some point?"

She frowned. "I...I don't think so... Please...d...don't hurt him if he shows up here."

He opened his palm, allowing what was left of Louise's crushed phone to crumble to the floor. "If I were you, I would be more worried about myself." He remarked, before adding: "You still haven't eaten today." It was then that she noticed the glass of milk in his other hand, immediately turning her nose up at the liquid. Ignoring her reaction, he continued. "It would be a hideous display of incompetence if I didn't encourage you to intake something of substance." He held out the glass to her expectantly.

She took it reluctantly with a quivering hand, then immediately put it on her bedside table with a look of disdain as she unconsciously moved away from the demon.

_It was a 'hideous display of incompetence' when you tackled me to the ground and choked me till I passed out. _

Sebastian gazed at her with unblinking eyes as they blazed a menacing shade of magenta. His brow furrowed and he gritted his teeth together to suppress a venomous hiss. "Allow me to ensure that I'm understanding you correctly..." He began, lips pulling down into a foreboding frown. "You refuse to eat anything, of your own accord?"

She visibly shrank away from his looming figure, glancing down at her hands where they fidgeted in her lap. He was stood between her and the exit, which only added to her unease however she was starkly aware that even if he wasn't, trying to run from him would prove to be an exercise in futility. "I've just lost my appetite."

"And how long will it be until your appetite returns?" He retorted with an undertone of parody.

She ignored his scathing tone, for fear of being hurt again. "I don't know. Why do you care so much? Y-you tried to k..." She swallowed thickly, looking back up at him for help when she found difficulty in saying what he had almost succeeded in doing aloud. She couldn't explain why, but even after discovering that he was a demon, there was still an inexplicable part of her that harboured some kind of trust for him and after he saved her life her feelings were seemingly consolidated. Now she didn't know what to feel.

"Kill you? That was never my intention...think of it more as a warning." Her hand subconsciously moved to cradle her neck. Smirking at her unwitting action, he continued. "Anyway, I have no desire to kill you, not yet. I'll even prove it if you don't believe me."

She frowned up at him, not finding his ghastly smile comforting in the slightest. "How?"

"Quite simple. I won't allow you to starve yourself."

She let out a yelp as he suddenly picked her up and threw her back against the headboard. Louise saw stars as her head battered against the wall - she didn't have time to get out a word in protest as in the blink of an eye, Sebastian was straddling her with his knees leaning on the mattress, forcing her to sit upright with her hands pinned at her back. "What are you doing?!"

When he removed his hands, she found that she still couldn't move her limbs at all. As if some invisible force was holding then in place. No matter how much she tried to squirm, she was completely unable to budge.

His perfectly serene expression petrified her as from thin air, a long tube attached to a funnel materialised in his hand. Still sitting on top of her legs and restricting their ability to move, he leaned in, his sickening smirk still plastered to his alabaster face. "I hope you'll forgive me for having to restrain you like this. But it's for your own good." He grinned as he observed the thick black smog holding her in place - completely invisible to the human eye.

Her eyes burned with the formation of horrified tears as she tried to move again - still unsuccessfully. She cried out as his now bare hands tilted her head up and his thumb came to coax her lips apart. She gritted her teeth together hard, having now put two and two together. He was going to force that tube down her throat to "feed" her and she felt physically ill at the thought.

When she refused to part her teeth, he sighed. "Why do you always insist on making things worse for yourself?"

She didn't answer, keeping her jaw firmly clamped shut and sending him the iciest glare she could muster through her tears.

"I could just break your jaw. Or remove your teeth..." He threatened, letting out an amused chuckle when her eyes widened and she let out an involuntary whimper. "However I think this will make things easier for both of us."

And with that, he gave a tug on her fair strands of hair, tilting her head back as he took the tube and began to force it into one of her nostrils. Her reedy screams were immediate and the look of terror which came over her face sent ripples of pleasure over him.

"Okay! Stop! Please! I'll eat! Just stop!" She screeched, trying in vain to turn her head away but he held her firmly in place.

"I don't believe you." Was all he said, frowning as he was met with some resistance. One of his hands was holding the back of her head, his fingers intertwining with her flaxen locks and giving hard tugs every time she tried to move. His other was holding the substantial tube which was now halfway up her nose.

Her breathing became increasingly laboured as with some forceful jostling, the torture device made its way right up her nasal cavity.

"This is barbaric!" She shrieked, her voice weak and pleading.

"Isn't it?" He mused, sounding almost impressed. "I learned the practice from watching humans do it in the early twentieth century."

"Please take it out..." She whimpered, ignoring his statement. He only responded with a savage laugh, continuing to push the tube until it began to make its way down her throat.

She gagged, her whimpers being muffled by the tube. Her nose burned profusely and the bleary image of a grinning Sebastian made her wish for deaths embrace. She felt completely helpless. She felt humiliated.

He released her head, standing up off of her legs with his feet on the mattress. But still, she was unable to move as the invisible fog coiled around her like a hungry serpent. She could only watch with staggered breath as Sebastian lifted the other end of the tube with the funnel attached, in his other hand was the glass of milk she had refused. Still peering down at her, he poured the liquid into the funnel, immediately causing her to gag perpetually. She screwed her eyes shut as if that would somehow relieve the burning sensation spreading from her nose right down the back of her throat.

She wished that when she next opened her eyes, this whole nightmare would be over.

* * *

_The force-feeding was inspired by the same treatment some Suffragettes received in Britain while going on hunger strike as part of the campaign for women's votes._


	7. Fragments

**Fragments**

Louise wished she could say that after the incident, she had miraculously gotten better. She wished she could say that she had started eating of her own volition and having that apparatus shoved up her nasal cavity was a one-off. However, Sebastian quickly made clear that he wasn't one for giving second chances.

Perhaps he was just being cautious. Or perhaps he was actively trying to be as cruel as possible – either way, the outcome was the same.

Multiple times every day he would restrain her and force that blasted feeding tube down her throat. Exactly what it was he would pour down there she had no idea. By the time he was finished she was too tired and too sore to care.

She maintained several bruises and scars over her limbs from him restraining her – her nose was constantly burning and her skull was always throbbing.

While she stared up at him through tired - though tearful and petrified eyes, he would only offer her his signature plastic smile and remind her that he was only trying to care for her.

"I merely have your best interests in mind," He claimed when he was finished and while she was cradling her bleeding nose.

She couldn't stand to even spare him a glance. With her throat still burning she barely managed to choke out: "Why do you need to be so rough?"

His expression morphed from its usual smug visage into something almost tragic. "I've been serving humanity for so long now…" He trailed off, before throwing her a sinister grin. "Though I did used to hunt you stunted little apes for sport," He gripped her chin, bending down so that they were eye to eye. "I do miss those days now, so you will forgive me if my desire to tear you apart manifests itself, won't you?"

The hairs on her arms stood on end at how casually he spoke of hunting her species. Sometimes she still found it hard to comprehend the fact that he wasn't of her world. Then inevitably, his lack of humanity would bleed through his façade and she would have to come to terms with this fact all over again. Ever since she had openly expressed her contempt for the contract she had been handed, it was as though a flip was switched inside of Sebastian and his patience for her had quickly wore thin. There was no longer any need for him to be pleasant.

"If you want to tear me apart, why not just do it? Keeping me alive seems counter intuitive."

His smile widened, before he licked his lips – still gazing right at her lightless grey eyes that were trying to avoid him. "You are practically begging for it, aren't you?" Then finally, he let go of her face and stood up straight. "If I were to consume you now, I would be terribly disappointed – in both of us."

For the most part, she was otherwise left to her own devices.

The days were empty and seemed to drag by. Often, Louise would find herself staring blankly at the drab white ceiling from where she lay in bed. She could only hazard a guess at what time it was from Sebastian's visits during meal times and the gradual lightening and darkening of the room.

Until early on one darkened morning, she was jerked from sleep by a hacking cough – one which brought tears to her eyes and it was only when she tried to sit up that she found her body ached all over. A cold sweat had broken out across her forehead as violent shivers overcame her.

"S-se!" Her spluttering refused to calm itself. She began to feel lightheaded and, in her panic, she toppled onto the floor with a resounding thud. Sharp pain in her chest made her clammy hands clutch at the material of her shirt as if that would enable her to breathe properly.

The door was hastily thrown open and Sebastian's curious face appeared right over her own, his brow furrowed and his lips forming incoherent words which she failed to hear. He forced her to sit up, bringing his hand down against her back in several rough smacks – no doubt, leaving angry red marks. Confusion and frustration clearly evident on his face, Louise attempted to mouth to him through her coughing.

"_Water."_

In the blink of an eye he disappeared, before the cool rim of a glass was brought against her lips and for the first time, she willingly accepted what he offered.

When her wheezing died down and the fog began to clear from her mind, she was able to hear the demon ask: "Do you have asthma, Louise?"

She shook her head. "No. I don't know what's wro-" she brought her hand up to cough again, feeling something slimy land in her palm. Drawing back, she stared at her hand with wide eyes.

Sebastian followed her gaze, eyes honing in on the drops of blood coating her skin.

She ignored the feeling of his bare hand brushing against her forehead, rasping as she tried to ignore the urge to cough more. She still held a hand against her chest, every breath she took in sounding like the ragged wheezing of one who had smoked for twenty-odd years.

"What's wrong with you…?" He uttered, mostly to himself before he stood up. His eyes remained fixed on her lithe figure, scrutinising. As if the answer would present itself.

After a moment, he abruptly turned towards the door. "I'll draw you a bath. Come."

Her eyebrows disappeared into her hairline. A bath? How was that supposed to help?

When she didn't move to follow him right away, he added: "Hurry along now, you're running out of time..." He said, peering over his shoulder at her with his arms relaxed by his side.

"For what?" She scowled, letting out a cough.

"Everything. Human life spans are remarkably short. I'm surprised you aren't all running around in a permanent state of panic."

Slowly, she inched herself into a standing position. Her muscles ached with every movement she made towards his dark figure. As she passed him, he leaned down to whisper tauntingly in her ear: "tick-tock tick-tock…"

She turned with a tired sigh to sneer up at him through hooded eyes. "Are you finished?"

He smirked. "For now."

She practically fell onto the closed lid of the toilet, leaning her head onto the cool tiles of the bathroom wall. As she observed him work, she allowed her eyes to close, her shoulders hunching with dread upon feeling another fit of coughing creep up her throat.

The two sat in silence until the tub was filled. When the taps were turned off, they stared at each other for several seconds before Louise finally had to ask. "Are you going to just stand there?"

He tilted his head to the side, narrowing his eyes and suddenly appearing grave. "Last time I left you alone to bathe you nearly succeeded in killing yourself. Why would I repeat the same mistake? Besides, you appear quite unwell. I would be a fool to leave you on your own."

Her heart sunk in the knowledge that she had nothing reasonable to say in defense of herself. "I won't do anything..." She tried.

His eyes glinted on odious joy at the dismay in her tone. "Let's not take any chances, hmm?"

She bawled her hands into fists. She knew he was perfectly justified in his suspicions. But what he was trying to suggest…" I…. can't have a bath in front of you."

"Why not?" He pressed.

"You know why!" She could feel her cheeks were suddenly aflame as she gritted her teeth together.

The delighted grin that weaved its way across his face made her stomach churn. "As I've said before, human modesty means very little to me. Now we need to get your fever under control immediately."

When he began to advance towards her, arms reached out to grab her, she stood to dodge him – barely taking a step before she felt his hands seize her by the upper arms. She screamed when she heard the distinct sounds of tearing fabric and felt his nails graze across her skin, however her screams descended into a fit of coughing as she tried in vain to struggle.

"Stop! Stop that!"

Her demands went unanswered, until moments later she was sat shivering in the tepid water with her knees drawn up to her chest and a sour expression on her face.

"There – was that so difficult?" He questioned with a raised brow while he removed his gloves and rolled his sleeves up.

She didn't respond, resting her head on her knees in a bid to ease the headache forming across her temples. Her matted hair fell like a curtain around her meek figure and shielded her from the scintillating bathroom lights.

"I think I should go to hospital…" She suddenly muttered.

The demon faltered, stopping to consider her suggestion. "…I can take care of you. Don't concern yourself with that."

She peeked at him through her hair. "Do you know what's wrong with me?"

"I have several theories-"

"It's the force feeding isn't it? You've made me sick." She coughed, grimacing as more mucus landed in her palm.

His eyebrows remained furrowed. By making sure she was fed, wasn't he making her healthier? How could that have made her sick?

"Humans…" He said with a sigh.

_Are incredibly complicated creatures_. He finished internally, before narrowing his eyes at her. "You will remain here. I'll fix you myself."

"But-" She jumped when she caught sight of his pupils flashing bright magenta – harrowing eyes that were staring right at her with a scowl and his mouth was drawn up into a sneer.

_What's up with him…? _

* * *

When she had come out of the bath, Sebastian insisted that she returned to bed. To her relief, he didn't force her to eat again.

However, as she lay there, her entire body aching, she simply couldn't find it in herself to sleep. Attempting to sit up proved an exercise in futility, as she promptly fell back into the pillows with a groan.

Her head felt like it was made out of led as her temples throbbed and her eyelids were aching. With a grunt, she rolled over in bed, squirming. Her pain only seemed to increase with every movement she made until eventually she couldn't take it anymore.

Mustering all of her strength, she counted down from three, before throwing the covers off of her and standing up. Her head began to swim, her legs trembled as they struggled to take her weight and she had to grip onto the bed post to keep herself from falling over.

Staggering over to draw back the curtains revealed the half-moon to be staring back at her. The ominously ticking clock showed the time was almost four in the morning and yet, she felt wide awake. She suddenly wondered what time it had been when she had taken her initial coughing fit.

As she peered out into the blackness, she came to the conclusion that the woods would always terrify her – especially now that she knew the kinds of creature that lurked in the dark. She wanted her mother.

She leaned forward to rest her head against the cool glass, folding her arms across the window sill.

"Is there something interesting out there?"

Louise screeched, turning to see her demonic prison guard staring over her shoulder with a strange expression on his face.

"Uhm. No. Just a lot of dark."

"You should be resting. You struggle to even stand up on your own." He noted, silently wondering to himself if the human he had been lumbered with was so defective that she was unable to do anything for herself.

"I can't sleep." She croaked, letting out another cough. "Everything hurts."

He raised an inquisitive eyebrow. While he was aware that humans needed sleep to function, he wasn't entirely clear why. Nevertheless, it was still as essential to humans as food and water. He needed her to get healthy again. He was silent for a minute, seeming to consider something – which from Louise's perspective, was never a good sign.

"Perhaps I should take over that responsibility for you as well, as you are clearly incapable."

She frowned warily. "You mean you'll…help me sleep?"

Her unease wasn't anymore alleviated by the grin he sent her way. "Of course. I have a duty of care, after all." His eyes began to glow in the way that they often did, the wicked grin on his face never faltering.

Louise swallowed thickly with his next words. A simple command – spoken with far too much serenity for the shadowy, glowing eyed figure stood before her. The juxtaposition was as unnerving as it was confusing. Nothing about him made sense – nothing about that _**creature**_ was natural. A walking contradiction who seemed so terrifying, yet so calmly offered his hand with promises of good intentions.

"Come here."


End file.
